Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Speaker:

Today, in a separate message, I have asked the Congress to reallocate $17.1
billion of available funding in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's
Disaster Relief Fund to provide for further response and recovery efforts
in the regions affected by Hurricane Katrina.

As a further measure to ensure fiscal responsibility as we continue our
unprecedented response to Hurricane Katrina, I ask the Congress to consider
the enclosed request to rescind $2.3 billion from lower-priority Federal
programs and excess funds.

As we help the people of the Gulf Coast region recover and rebuild from
Hurricane Katrina, it is more important than ever to redouble our efforts
to reduce unnecessary spending elsewhere in the budget.

In concert with this rescission proposal, I urge the Congress to reduce
Fiscal Year 2006 nonsecurity spending below last year's levels, as proposed
in my Budget. In addition, I urge the Congress to achieve the maximum
amount of mandatory savings through reconciliation legislation over the
next 5 years. These actions will advance our shared goal to maintain
fiscal responsibility as we continue our assistance to hurricane-affected
regions.

The details of this request are set forth in the enclosed letter from the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget.